Jordan Schnitzer Printmaking Residency - Sitka Center, OR

Reflecting on our need for sleep and attempts to capture fleeting sensory experiences is a series of memory-inspired etchings created with master printer Julia D'Amario during my Jordan Schnitzer Printmaking Residency at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology in the fall of 2017.

'While Sleeping'Intaglio with spit bite and soap ground8 x 6 in

Nestled in the center of a United Nations Biosphere Reserve on the Oregon Coast, the Sitka Center is a place that holds magic. Moss drapes from ancient spruce trees while soft paths through the woods provide a singular location to observe nature, to contemplate, and to create. The prints were inspired by the rich beauty and serenity of the forest and sea and the visible depth of the night sky. The resulting etchings drew on neuroscience, memories, and reflections on our need for sleep. 'While Sleeping' was an attempt to map fleeting sensory experiences: neuronal trees mingle with neurotransmitters which appear as constellations in the night sky. This stillness is the time for dreaming and for REM sleep, enabling us to connect ideas and illuminate creative solutions.

The imagery in “Cascade Dreams” draws on the topography of the Salmon River estuary and the Cascade Head trail near Sitka and also echos elements of the night sky and the neurochemistry of dreams (REM sleep). The map contains the strongly etched topography of the shoreline and the more subtle paths which mark the hiking trail up to the Cascade Head meadow. These treks and accompanying views over the Pacific were powerful and unforgettable, like a transformative dream. In this work I have mapped, etched, and editioned this as touchstones for an indelible memory of this place.

'Cascade Dreams'Intaglio with spit bite8 x 6 in

'Tangled Memories'Intaglio with spit bite and soap ground12 x 9 in

One of the greatest mysteries of the mind is our memory, the ability to time-travel and use recollections, whether conscious or not, to shape our future choices. At our core, when we think about who we are, we rely on a narrative we remember. The intaglio etching ‘Tangled Memories’ uses magnified and abstracted imagery of neurons under the microscope to delicately address the beautiful wilderness of interweaving neurons that help us maintain the stories that make us who we are.